Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jan 19, 2021 Kristin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: popsugar-2021

I went into this book knowing only one thing, that Uga the bulldog would make an appearance. Learning it was set in Savannah, GA added to the appeal, as I visited Savannah a few years ago, though our tour of the city was cut short by a rainstorm, so I only vaguely recognized most of the locations featured in the book. This was a non-fiction book that read like a fiction book, with Berendt relocating to Savannah to learn more about the history and character of the city and finding himself particu I went into this book knowing only one thing, that Uga the bulldog would make an appearance. Learning it was set in Savannah, GA added to the appeal, as I visited Savannah a few years ago, though our tour of the city was cut short by a rainstorm, so I only vaguely recognized most of the locations featured in the book. This was a non-fiction book that read like a fiction book, with Berendt relocating to Savannah to learn more about the history and character of the city and finding himself particularly intrigued by the murder trial of Jim Williams, an eccentric bachelor accused of killing a young man 20+ years his junior, who may or may not have been Williams' occasional sexual partner.
In addition to Williams and those who knew him, Berendt also introduces a varied cast of characters he meets during his time in Savannah, including Lady Chablis, a drag queen who takes him backstage at the club where she performs to learn all her trade secrets, and Joe Odom, an out of work lawyer who squats in various historical buildings, running illegal 'bus tours' of his current residence until the authorities catch up with him and kick him out. Berendt intersperses tales featuring these secondary characters among the evolving saga of Williams and his legal fight against the murder charges. Uga turns up when Berendt goes to visit Sonny Seiler, one of the lawyers Williams retains to defend himself, who is also the owner of the Uga line of bulldogs that represent the University of Georgia as live mascots.
The events of the book all happened in the early 1980s, though the book wasn't published until the mid-1990s, so Berendt is able to tie up many of the storylines. Overall, I found it to be a really good book and very intriguing. What fascinated me was how well Berendt captured the insulated nature of Savannah, that it's like a small town where everyone seems to know each other's business, but once you leave city limits, no one knows Savannah's business. Everyone in Savannah had an opinion about whether Williams fired in self defense or in cold blood, but when a trial was sought in Augusta, 120 miles away, no one had ever heard of Williams, despite it being the biggest news story in a number of years in Savannah. ...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Kris Springer rated it it was amazing

Read this several years ago and thought it was just amazing. Movie didn't do it justice. Great characters, description, writing--this one deserves a 5, no doubt. ...more

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